Those interested in Christian worship have tended to limit their
attention to three areas: (1) the history of rites and texts; (2)
the theological meaning of specific liturgical acts; and (3) the
nature of ritual speech and gesture. But there has been little
attention paid to the interaction between Christian worship and its
immediate social context. This book will argue that one of the
primary influences on the social context of Christian worship is
the pervasive presence of technology and technological process, and
that these have had a profound effect on liturgical theory and
practice.
After a survey of some of the important work being done in the
history and philosophy of technology, White goes on to cite
specific historical examples of the creative interplay between
technological processes and Christian worship. This will include
such things as the pasteurization of grape juice for the use at
communion and the changes in funeral rites which were made
necessary by the practice of embalming. The argument will then turn
to the way in which individuals who "think technologically"
approach the act of Christian worship today, and then to a
discussion of the technological influences at work on those
involved in preparing services of public worship. This last section
will describe how technology has affected the way in which every
mainline denomination produces its official service materials, as
well as how individual congregations appropriate liturgical
change.
In the final section of the book, one issue remains to be
addressed: Is technology a dangerous social force, against which
Christian worship can be a potent weapon? Or, on the other hand, is
technology an inextricable element in a contemporary society to
which Christian worship must accommodate itself in order to be
"relevant"?
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